Everything you ever wanted to say about "Zebra luvin", but didn't because you thought everyone would take the mickey! Plus general topics for discussion including everything from what you feed them to your personal experiences.

Hello..i'm pretty green to Zebra Plecos. I was just wondering if you guys grow out your juvies (1"-1.5")fish in bare bottom no decoration/driftwood/cave tanks. Or do you just grow them out in lets say tank with sand substrate complete with driftwood and caves.
The reason i'm asking is because with Discus for example they are grown out in bare tanks. I was just wondering if the same applies to zebra plecos. Thanks

The bare bottom v.s. substrate is a separate issue from the rest of your questions. All plecos need cover in which to hide. Forcing them to live in the open will stress them which in turn will leadt o illness and deaths.

When possible, I have kept babies with the breeders. Many folks believe they need to munch some poop from more mature zebras to establish needed gut microorganisms. I am in that camp. newborns also need more veggies n=matter in their diet than when they become more mature.

I jave kept or currently keep zebras in bare bottom, sand bottoms and fine gravel bottom tanks. With bare it is important to pull the tank apart a couple of times a year to scrub the bottom/ it is also important to learn where the crud collects and to be sure to jeep this under control. Small fry will get into this and it will kill them.

that said over the years I have had many 100s of zebras born and raised in a bare bottom tank,

So i put my 5 juvies (about 1" -1.5") fish in the tank which has rocks and driftwood and fine sand as substrate. They all disappeared since then. It's been over a week and the only sign that they are still alive is because the food i give them at night is eaten and there is poop everywhere.

Do they use caves as hiding places when they are young or only when they are about to spawn? I currently have 5 caves in the tank but i have not seen one fish claim a cave. They are all hiding in the crevices between the rocks or driftwood.